Council scoops top government gong for ‘Excellence’

Damien Lucas

The government has given its lofty backing to Hertfordshire County Council after awarding it top billing for customer service.

The council’s Joint Protective Services team has been awarded Customer Service Excellence status – the government backed scheme that recognises high standards of customer service and efficiency.

The team, which brings together Trading Standards and Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service staff in one unit, was awarded the status in recognition of the way it has put its customers ‘at the heart of its work’.

The Customer Service Excellence standard measures the team against areas that research shows are a priority for customers.

The council aims to make sure that staff understand what the public want and what their experience is like. To that end it focuses on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitude.

Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Richard Thake, said he knows how important it is to recognise customer expectations.

“Be they residents, local businesses or our partner organisations – (customers are) at the heart of what we do, and it’s great to get this formal recognition for our approach,” he said.

“We’re committed to keeping our residents healthy and safe while supporting local businesses, and to do that we need to put the people and businesses we deal with first.”